Census: Education has greater effect on earnings than race, gender
A worker’s level of education has a greater effect on his or her earnings over the course of a 40-year career than any other demographic factor, including gender or race, according to a new study released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau. Race and gender still played a strong role in lifetime earnings, however.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2011/09/census_education_has_greater_e.html
Johanns, Grassley call on EPA to support ban on farm dust regs
Sens. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Thursday asked Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson to support their bill prohibiting the agency from regulating farm dust.
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/181865-johanns-grassley-call-on-epa-to-support-ban-on-farm-dust-regs-
Mortgage industry whistleblower wins case against Bank of America
A high-level executive who reported corrupt lending practices at Countrywide Financial Corp. was improperly fired for leading internal investigations that “revealed widespread and pervasive wire, mail and bank fraud” at the lender, a federal agency ruled Wednesday. The Labor Department ordered Bank of America Corp., which bought Countrywide, to pay the former executive roughly $930,000 and reinstate her.
http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/09/14/6467/mortgage-industry-whistleblower-wins-case-against-bank-america
Can Facebook get you fired? Watch what you say about your employer on social media
The National Labor Relations Board says it has been getting an increased number of social media cases as that means of communication continues to grow in popularity. The resulting actions against employers and employees should be a warning to companies trying to restrict social media postings by employees and to workers who use the medium to air their grievances.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/can-facebook-get-you-fired-watch-what-you-say-about-your-employer-on-social-media/2011/09/14/gIQAJRKgSK_story.html
Facebooking is not a crime
In the Wall Street Journal, George Washington University law professor Orin Kerr casts a withering look at the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, a law that originally dealt with hacking and has been slowly widened to encompass all manner of computer-related mischief. “The law now criminalizes computer use that ‘exceeds authorized access’ to any computer,” says Kerr. While violations are currently misdemeanor offenses, the Senate Judiciary Committee is today considering elevating it to a felony. The act also permits civil suits that border on the frivolous, such as when an individual was sued by a former employer for “excessive Internet usage from work”—like visiting Facebook.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2011/09/15/facebooking_is_not_a_crime.html
The shame of college sports
A litany of scandals in recent years have made the corruption of college sports constant front-page news. We profess outrage each time we learn that yet another student-athlete has been taking money under the table. But the real scandal is the very structure of college sports, wherein student-athletes generate billions of dollars for universities and private companies while earning nothing for themselves. Here, a leading civil-rights historian makes the case for paying college athletes—and reveals how a spate of lawsuits working their way through the courts could destroy the NCAA.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/10/the-shame-of-college-sports/8643/
Former EPA fugitive sentenced to more than seven years in prison for asbestos training scam
The former owner of the country’s largest asbestos abatement training school was sentenced to prison today, after having fled the United States after her trial in November 2008. n November 2008, following a three-week trial, Deleon was convicted of a broad range of charges including that she sold training certificates to thousands of illegal aliens who had not taken the mandatory training course. Deleon then placed these unqualified individuals in temporary employment positions as certified asbestos abatement workers in public buildings throughout Massachusetts and New England.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/f6b4697eba0a90d78525790a00738b86?OpenDocument
Party’s over for event rental company facing OSHA fines
A company doing business as Lasting Impressions Event and Party Rentals has made a lasting impression on OSHA. The Bedford Heights, Ohio, company has been cited for 19 alleged safety violations with proposed fines totaling $154,000.
http://ehstoday.com/standards/rental_company_osha_fines_0915/
OSHA investigating Adventure Island lifeguard’s death
During peak hours, large crowds at theme parks increase the probability of accidents, injuries and in some cases, deaths, industry experts said. Throw in unpredictable Florida weather, especially here in lightning-prone Tampa, and anything can happen. Those are the factors to consider in the case of Justin Savers Inversso, an Adventure Island lifeguard who died last week when he was struck by lighting, according to William Avery, a consultant on theme park safety.
http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/2011/sep/15/osha-investigating-adventure-island-lifeguards-dea-ar-257702/
Verizon worker’s death ‘very unusual’
Wireline technicians certainly face risks working around power lines, but Verizon Communications is calling the electrocution of one of its workers a rarity. 37-year-old Douglas Lalima was working on some cables in Brooklyn, N.Y., Wednesday morning when he came in contact with a live wire. Residents and business owners in the area say they heard some crackling and then saw Lalima catch on fire. He died at the scene.
http://www.channelpartnersonline.com/news/2011/09/verizon-worker-s-death-very-unusual.aspx
